THE CHINA MAIL, JUNE 3, 1989.
HE LIKED TO PLAY THE FOOL, BUT THEY COULD NOT HELP LIKING
By Leo Fuller
MAX BAER-CLOWN PRINCE OF THE BOXING RING
"AXIMILLIAN Adelbert Baer,
MA
Clown Prince of the Ring, the Livermore Larruper, ex-heavy- weight champion of the world, and
now
good husband and proud father, is the enigma of the modern ring. He is utterly unpredictable, fighting like a man înspired to-day and like a novice to-morrow.
He has been photographed more times than a film star, he has broken a thousand feminine hearts. He has spent fortunes and made more. From Coast to Coast he was the night club king. He trained on Broadway for his greatest fights, went to England and was licked by Tommy Farr. Yet the fans paid thousands to see him box Ben Foord a few weeks later, and a month or two after that he gave Farr the trimming of his life in New York City. Furthermore, there are many who think he will beat Louis if they meet again.
From such a jumble of contradictory characteristics, you can imagine that an unusual man will emerge.
And unusual barely describes Baer.
Max was brought up on his father's runch in California, and he developed under the sun, living a vigorous life in the great outdoors of the West.
At school he played in all the sports -except boxing-and at the age of twenty was six feet two and weighed nearly two hundred pounds, all of which was sinewey muscle. And be had a girl friend Max always had a girl friend.
MAX BAER
really so misleading, and gave displays He was out walking with her one of fistic fireworks that hadn't been day when a farm hand made some seen for years. In one hundred rounds crack. Rather unwillingly Max allow of boxing he scored the fantastic total ed his girl to urge him into retaliation, of one hundred and ten knock-downs. He knocked the luckless form hand He said:
.
dubbed him as a show-off alley fighter, had been starving on government re- and he threw money around Broadway lief. But Max never learned to box, until it was ankle deep. He said: and Jimmy had. Max left his effort "What do you expect? I was a too late, and laughed away his title, young farm hand who had never seen as Braddock jabbed his head off with anything but cows and pastures. a left hand. Max laughed in defeat. What do you expect me to do with
I "You're a good fighter, Jimmy. ten thousand dollars cash. in my hope you make better use of the title pocket?"
thân i did.”
When the income tax man called to see Mr. Baer on the matter of some few thousand dollars.owing, Max ask- ed him where the money went. He was told it was for national defence, up- keep of the army, aeroplanes, destroy- ers and so forth.
"Well, send me a couple of destroy ers along. I figure I've paid for them by now," Max answered.
Joe Louis has a knock-out__victory. over Baer in four rounds. But Max finished on one knee, and argument still rages as to whether he was truly knocked out, or just quit.
Now he is married and settled down- with a lovely wife and a year-old son. There's nothing phoney about his come-back either, because, last winter, he knocked Tommy Farr down twice Dempsey To Rescue in their New York fight, a feat Joe
Louis was unable to accomplish. After his fight with Max Schmeling Many people dislike Baer, but his Baer wanted to buy a two thousand flashy personality is just a cover for dollar ring for the current girl friend. one of the grandest of men. He is When the jeweller arrived at his hotel generous to a fault, will talk with room, Jack Dempsey-who promoted
anyone; completely captivates those the bout-hustled him out by the seat who know him. A little amateur photo- of his pants and refused to give Baer grapher waited hours to see him com- his money. They nearly had a fight ing out of an office, and asked to bo about it, but Dempsey put it in a allowed to take a picture. Max stop- trust instead. That started Baer sav- ped a street cleaner, snatched off his ing.
hat, threw the brush over his should- er and posed that way 1
of
That Schmeling fight was a sensa- tion, Baer broke every rule known to
No Fanfare Then boxing. In his wild savagery he back handed, elbowed, hit low, while the My best memories of Baer are German methodically outpointed him when he arrived for the Schmeling until the ninth round. The referee fight, alone in a taxi, dressed in dirty pleaded with Max not to make a fiasco greys and a yellow sweater. No, motor of the affair, as seventy thousand peo- cycle squads, no body guards. He
In that ple were watching.
ninth stayed fifteen minutes outside, signing round, his lips drawn back over his autographs for the kids. Walking teeth, his face a mask of fighting fury, down the aisle to the ring, he stopped Baer let go a right swing which raced every few paces to sign fans'
star. grammes. .! through, the air like a falling Schmeling's neck seemed to snap.
Although over thirty, I think he still 'Down he went. He rose to his feet, could win back the world title. He dead cold unconscious, and the re may meet Joe Louis once more, and if feree had to fight Baer to keep him he hands one of his shattering right off and stop the fight.
hands on Shufflin' Joe's chin, Max may, make more fight history.
In fact, that referee had had to wrestle so much with Baer that he himself lost eleven pounds during the contest!
pro-
clean through the door of a drug store, "I figure the game like this. I am and no one was more surprised than a puncher. I can knock 'em over with young Mr. Baer.
either hand. I figure the smartest of The thrill of that wallop stayed with 'em will get careless in ten rounds. Max long after his passion for his girl That's all I ask. Let him slip up once
At the weigh-in for the Farr fight, had cooled. So he saved up some and I've got him. I can take it, too.
Max strode in, wise-cracking merrily, money, bought a punching bag and My knees have sagged more than once,
a huge camel-haired coat slung over started out on the royal road of prize but they always come up again." Max took the title from Primo Car- his shoulders in cloak fashion.
I was fighting.
Max was dead right in this sum- nera, giving him an awful thrashing; standing with a newspaper man, 迅 His first fight, against a warrior of mary, but the trouble was he never jeering at him; wise-cracking to the boxing reporter, who has always derid- the name of Chief Caribou, Max won bothered to box. All he had to do was ring-siders; pulling up his trunks be- ed Baer. He watched him for a few in two slugging rounds. From that to hang one of his club-like gloves on fore knocking the Italian's eighteen and moments, and then, turned to me, sigh- evening he vaulted into fistic promin- any chin in the world and that a half stone across the ring, as if he ed ence, and within a year had earned ten chin cracked. It did more than were a fly-weight.
"You can't help liking the son-of-a- thousand pounds; rode around in a crack with poor Frankie Campbell. He Primo was down so many times that gun. two thousand pound car, driven by a got in the way of a Baer special, and one of his seconds, answering a specta- chauffeur în brilliant livery; bought they carried him out of the ring tor, snapped: his father and mother a small estate; straight to the mortuary, and buried "Baer's only hit him once, but he's had three hundred suits, with a pair of him next day.
got rubber trunks, on and he's still shoes to match each, and ordered his Ernie Schaaf died after his fight with bouncing!" secks by the gross.
Primo Carnera, but his death was Circus Tactics Fail
!
So Misleading
He spent money like water, develop- ed that show off personality that is
TO-DAY'S BASEBALL
BREWERS SHOULD
really an aftermath of his bout with Baer, who had hammered him to un- consciousness.
When he first hit New York they
:
Baer tried his circus tactics when he defended his title against the Cin- derella Man, Jimmy Braddock, who
Racing Time Guide
(Continued from Page 20)
BEAT H.K. CLUB 1.014-Derby Day (Pih, 155); 2, Vixen
Tor (Proulx, 164); 3, Criffel (Encarnacao, 160). % and short head. (2nd E 2).
In spite of all the practice and progress made by Hong Kong Base-1.03.0-Sydney Lad (Prouix, 155); 2, ball Club since their last game, the U.B squad should have little diffi- culty in beating them in the League this afternoon at Caroline Hill.
but
U.B. are taking no chances in their fine-up for the opening innings not so much will depend on M. el Arculli's pitching as in previous en- counters, and it is probable that Bowen will be given a chance with the ball this afternoon.
The only player in the U.B. team who has done no hitting so far this
Victory Day (Tao, 162); 3, Rising Star (Marshall, 152).
& 2. (A.M. 3). 1.06.2-Bruno (Churchill 151); Baffin Bay (Wei, 145); 3, Ruby Star (S. W. Pan, 145), 2 and 1%. (3rd E.).
11.47.2-King's Privilege (V. V. Needa, 146); 2, Criffel (B. A. Proulx, 155); 3, A Great Time (T. Y. Woo, 160). 1⁄2 and short head. |
(1st E.).
1.49.2-Rivulet (Pih, 152); 2, Laffat
That (Happy Landings) (Da- vis, 162); 3, Devonian (Hearne, 155). 1 & 11⁄4. (A.M. 2). 1.49.3-Chiltern (C. Encarnacao, 155);
2, Devonian (D, Black, 155); 3, National Victory (S. W. Tang, 152), 1 and 2' (1st E.).·
1.26.4-Ruby Stár (Tao, 155); 2, Jan-1.50.1-Candlelight (Pote-Hunt, 162);
ber (Raymond, 152); 3, Baffin Bay (Proulx, 155). head & head. (5th E. 1).
One Mile 1.46.2-Lancashire Chips (Wei, 147); 2. Lucky Lad (Needa, 152); 3, Double Finesse (Woo, 140). J and 5. (2nd E. 1).
season is T. Leonard, their first base-1.46.3-Blandford (Poy, 147); 2, Snowy
man, but now that this player is get- ting "his eye in," he is expected to in- crease the batting strength of the U.B. Team
The infield of U.B. is about the best. in the League and no cheap rumms should be scored against them.
Club will depend on Lawrence, and, on his form will rest the chances of the Club being able to make a fight of it..
River (Hearne, 148); 3, Vixon Tor (Proulx, 149). Neck & (A.M. 1)..
To-morrow Chinese Baseball - Club play South China and should win easily as the latter will be without Pau Ka-
ping and Fung King-cheong, who left with the South China Football team,
The other game is between Mindanao
and Recreto.
1.50.1
་
}་
That will be Baer's epitaph can't help liking the son-of-a-gun
(COPYRIGHT)
you
On Thursday last Lou Nova beat Baer on a technical knock out in the 11th round, Baer apparently suffering from a broken blood vessel in the mouth. Monday. Knocked out by Joe Louis and will never remember it!
· ·
1.58.4-Criffel (Nceda, 160); 2, Tor- nado Star (Wei, 150); 3, Bland- ford (Poy, 165). 3 and 2. (4th E.).
1.59.2
Discovery Bay (Yuen, 140); 2, A Great Time (Woo, 162); 3, Macquarie River (Wei, 140). 1 and short head. (2nd E 2). - 2.02.0-Sydney Lad (Needa, 158); 2, 3. Baffin Bay (Wei, 144); Bruno (Churchill, 155). % and 3. (4th E.).. 2.04.1-Triumphant Day (Tao, 165); 2, Chiltern, (Encarnacao, 156); 3, Devonian (Black, 150). 2 and 2. (3rd E.).
14 Miles. 2.14.8-Lucky Lad (Needa, 154); 2, Lancashire Chips (Black, 164); 3, Able Amazon (S. W. Pan, 164). Neck & 8. (A.M. 2). 2.16.1-Courting Eve (Pih, 158); 2
Lucky Lad (Needs, 102); 8, Snowy River (Raymond, 167). 1% and 2%. (4th E.). -2.15.3-Lucky Lad (V. V. Needs, 152);
2, Triumphant Day (Tao, 155); 3, King's Herald (Needa, 152); Many & 3. (A.M. 2). National Victory (Chanson, 152); 2, Murrumbidgee (Black, 151); 3, Bruno (Churchill, 147).
2 and head. (2nd E 2). 1.50.4-Courting Eve (Pih, 165); 2, Double Finesse. (Yuen, 185); 8, Triumphant Day (Tao, 154). 4 & 41(5th E. 1). 1.58.1--Vixen Tor (Proulx, 105); 2, 2.20.0 Tornado Star (Wei, 148); 3, Rising Star (S. W. Pan, 135). 2 & 2. (5th E. 1). · 1 Mile 171 Yards
1.57.2-Lancashire Chips (Black, 162): 2, Able Amazon (Marshall, 155); 8, Snow River (Hearne, 149). 2 and neck. (A,M, 4).
2, Snowy River (P. Y. T. Wei, 149); 8, Lancashire Chips (D. Black, 152). 'neck' and 1%. (A.M. 5). Happy Landings (Davis, 152); 2, Devonian (Hearne, 155); 9, National Victory(Chanson, 152). 2 & 4. ~ (A.M. 4).
11⁄2 Miles
2.49.0-Triumphant Day (Tao, 156);
Chiltern (Encarnacao, 155); 3, Cockleroi (Needa, 152), 8 & a head. (A.M. 8).